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After the disbanding of the second Klan in  the 40’s due to declining membership and an IRS tax liability, the Klan continued through smaller, unofficial chapters. While the Klan was kept alive through smaller groups, some groups grew and had more influence than others. These smaller groups gained more traction and growth during the Civil Rights Movement, while still independent of each other. This era of the Klan was filled with acts of terror and hatred against African Americans, supporters, and important figures of the Civil Rights Movement. 

These acts of terror and hatred included countless instances of physical violence, arson, assassinations, lynchings, bombings, and more. One of the worst displays of the Klan’s violence was the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, which killed 4 African American girls and injured 22. The Klan instigated so many bombings during the 1950’s in Birmingham that the city was (unfortunately) nicknamed “Bombingham.”

While the Klan had a brief resurgence in the 50’s and 60’s, it is estimated that the peak of the membership in the 3rd Klan was in 1965 with approximately forty thousand members. Since then, membership has fluctuated but has continued to decline, with the current membership estimated to be under three thousand. 

After the Civil Rights Era, the dying Klan continued to commit acts of hatred and terror on innocent people, including murders, shootings, lynchings, and bombings. Fortunately, the decline in the membership of the Klan has resulted in much fewer instances of violence compared to the Civil Rights Era. 

David Duke

Today, the modern Klan is made of many independent chapters. However, it is still alive. Certain chapters of the Klan have aligned with Neo-nazi groups as there has been an increase in the number of hate groups in the last few years. 
The Klan has even had well known leaders hold office. David Duke, formally a Grand Wizard of the Knights of the KKK, not only ran for president in 1988, but had a successful campaign for the Louisiana House.

To end this segment, I recommend the movie  BlacKkKlansman to anyone who has not seen it. BlacKkKlansman is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth who, as black police officer in the Colorado Springs Department, infiltrates the Klan led by David Duke in the 70’s.

Ron Stallworth